Japan and S. Korea to sign military accord

South Korea will soon sign agreements on military cooperation with Japan, their first military accord since the end of Japan’s colonial rule of Korea in 1945, Kyodo reports. The two bilateral military agreements would let the two nations share intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, carry out joint sea search and rescue operations, cooperate on logistics and peacekeeping operations. South Korea’s Defense Ministry spokesman said that they are aiming to sign accords by the end of this month. Japanese officials said that negotiations are in the final stages. Japan also highlighted the importance of General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to boost security cooperation of the two countries which can be used to deal with North Korea. They are also negotiating an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) for the countries’ respective defense forces. The agreements will not include dealing with contingencies in areas around the Korean Peninsula.